Fun with Fall Friskies

We've been incredibly fortunate here in Lexington to have summer stick around as long as it did this year. But in the past week temperatures have fallen drastically, which has left many of the horses at our barn—our precious seniors included—with a serious case of the friskies.

Despite the fact that Dorado seems to have a permanent case of the friskies, he's famous for his antics when the temperatures start their descent. Once the really cold weather arrives he settles down (read: he hates cold and spends the entire winter dreaming of spring), but if the past few years have any bearing on what's in store this year, I'll have my hands full for the next month or so.

The leaves are still green on our farm, but Dorado knows it's fall...and he's full of friskies!

Photo: Erica Larson

It's usually around this time of year that Dorado miraculously finds his (very!) distant Arabian heritage and trots and canters around on a longe line with his tail straight in the air, snorting the entire time. Now's also when the barrels we've been working around and jumping over for the past two years become horse-eating monsters (he showed me this trick yesterday) and when it's a necessity to try to move in the same gait as the horses galloping, bucking, and playing in the pastures near the arena. And of course, it's the time of year when Dorado floats around while playing with his pasturemate Chase in the most beautiful, upper-level-dressage-worthy gaits I've ever seen him produce (and it's now that I sigh despairingly knowing that—more than likely—I'll never be able to find the buttons to coax them out of him under saddle). Yes, the fall months are always an exciting time with Dorado!

While I'm quite happy for Dorado to get some energy out and have some fun, I constantly worry that he'll do something just silly enough to hurt himself, especially in the cold temperatures. Contrary to what he believes, his body isn't five years old anymore; add more than a decade and it takes him much longer to warm up his aging body up to work in chilly or downright cold weather. So each day that I arrive at the barn to find a sound horse that hasn't bucked/jumped/reared/fallen/slipped/etc. with a cold, stiff body and, thus, injured himself is a tiny miracle in my book.

On the flip side, I've known many other (saner?) senior horses—especially those in the lesson program I worked in—who take the crisp autumn air in stride. The extent of these horses' fall shenanigans was maybe a head toss, tail swish, or spring in their step as they came in and out of the barn each day. And most of the same horses wouldn't dream of pulling any funny business with a student on their backs.

Fall is a great time of year to enjoy spectacular scenery and brightly colored leaves on horseback, to get the last few good jump schools in before the ground freezes, or to just spend some quality time with your golden oldie…providing said golden oldie isn't jumping out of his skin with the friskies!

About the Author

Erica

Erica Larson, News Editor, holds a degree in Journalism with an external specialty in Equine Science from Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich. A Massachusetts native, she grew up in the saddle and has dabbled in a variety of disciplines including foxhunting, saddleseat, and mounted games. Currently, Erica competes in three-day eventing with her OTTB, Dorado. Erica enjoys photography in her spare time.

Comments

The views expressed in the posts and comments of this blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Horse or Blood-Horse Publications. They should be understood as the personal opinions of the author. All readers are encouraged to leave comments; all points of view are welcome, but comments that are discourteous and/or off-topic may be removed.

My 17yr old has always been a handful, but when the temp falls, I am in for it. He is like me. Hates it hot, loves the cooler weather in October and November.

Kelly

26 Oct 2013 10:41 PM

Over the years we've seen our seniors get a friskier as temperatures cooled. They seemed to enjoy the cooler weather. When winter hit we'd blanket as needed to help keep them warm but, it was only extremely cold days that bothered any of them.

Lance

27 Oct 2013 7:39 AM

Our 27 yo gelding and 17 yo mare go berserk in the cold weather. The other day we went out to feed in the morning and they were both galloping in the yurnout. My mare jumped in the air with all four legs off the ground!

Sandra

28 Oct 2013 4:42 PM

I meant turnout.

Sandra

28 Oct 2013 4:43 PM

My 20 year old warm blood really gets frisky in the spring and fall.........this year I started giving her B1 and it has done wonders for her and me...............she seems to listen more and not loose it on the way to her paddock or when I ride her.....................this is a wonder vitamin that really works for her.......I wish I knew about this when she was 2

Shernya

28 Oct 2013 5:29 PM

The oldest horse I have in my barn is a 16-year old Arabian named Ranger, and you would think with the sudden drop in temperatures that he'd be raring to go. (important to note that I live west of the Phoenix, Arizona area - so anything under 70 degrees is considered drastic!)

Not so.

Yesterday, for example - it has become my Sunday habit over the years to walk him down to a neighbor's five acre "pasture" so he can run and play and act like a horse. Now during the summer months I expected him to be lackluster, after all, who feels like playing when it is a mere 103 degrees outside? But yesterday, in spite of temps in the upper 40s, all he wanted to do was follow me around. Threats with a lunge whip, waving my arms, running, jumping - nothing produced the desired lift of the tail, arch of the neck and the dash with the heels in the air! Geez, he's no fun!

Today I got pretty much the same reaction - under saddle. I almost had the feeling that he was saying, "do we really need to be doing this?" If he were 36 - or even 26 - I would understand and give him a break. But 16? Come on "old" man - its fall! Let's have some fun, please?

Dawn

28 Oct 2013 6:37 PM

It's so interesting that horses respond so differently to temperature changes! Thank you for sharing your experiences!

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